Description
Book SynopsisEddie Paterson is a lecturer in the School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Trade ReviewEddie Paterson presents a unique take on the form. He deftly argues that the contemporary American monologue is inherently political, in form and content … As part of the Methuen Drama Engage series,
The Contemporary American Monologue makes an important contribution to the discourse on solo theatre in the United States. Series editors Enoch Brater and Mark Taylor-Batty have shaped a book series that offers a wide variety of critical analyses of modern and postmodern theatre that has been largely ignored or warrants more attention. This volume will prove indispensable to solo performers, educators, and anyone with an interest in avant-garde or solo American theatre. With the contribution of Eddie Paterson’s rigorous study, the conversation on solo performance is now more extensive, while simultaneously inviting continued critical inquiry. * Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism *
In The Contemporary American Monologue, Australian university lecturer Eddie Paterson sets out to trace the work of four distinctly American monologue artists and to place their creative work within the larger context of dramatic monologues over the past two-and-a-half millennia … In examining these artists, Paterson provides an important initial study of the form’s evolution, one sure to spark further examination and scholarship. * Studies in American Culture *
In succinct but comprehensive coverage, this engaging book offers the reader new perspectives on monologue. It sets out the origins and function of the dramatic monologue from historical precedents through to contemporary developments. The ambitious and largely successful ambit of the book means that it will appeal to theatre practitioners as well as researchers. Eddie Paterson presents the accepted ideas of theatrical monologue and then, in careful, thoughtful analysis, he explores how these were expanded through solo performance from the 1980s. Importantly, The Contemporary American Monologue treats monologue as a type of performance – and therefore best illustrated with the type of solo performance that emerged out of the United States. * TEXT *
Paterson’s work is a significant addition to the critical studies of these four particular artists, the historical framework that contextualizes them, and the monologue form. Those who are led by the title to expect a monologue sourcebook for actors (as I was) will encounter much more. * The Journal of American Drama and Theatre *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Foreword by Deborah R. Geis Introduction 1. Monologue in Western Drama 2. Monologue in American Performance 3. Confessional Monologue 4. Postpunk Monologue 5. Rights Monologue 6. Radical Monologue 7. Future Monologue Notes Bibliography Index Biographical Note
